Today, it operates as a bar and restaurant and attracts an upscale Roman and international crowd.[1][2]
It is not related to Harry's Bars in Venice, Florence, Paris or London.
History
Harry's Bar Rome
Harry's Bar Rome opened in 1918 under the name "Golden Gate". The owner, an American woman who lived in Rome, found her inspiration for the restaurant name from her native town of San Francisco, California. The Golden Gate is the strait between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean.
The owner, originally from Rome, decided to open the bar as a tea saloon. In 1950, a new owner bought the place and decided to renovate the business and change its name from Golden Gate to Harry's Bar Rome.
Dolce Vita years
During the "Dolce Vita" years (late 1950s to early 1960s), Harry's Bar had its most successful period. Rome saw a period of economic boom. Cinecittà attracted American directors, producers, actors and actresses.
During this period, it was usual to see Anita Ekberg[5] seated at the table drinking after shopping in Via Frattina.[5]Frank Sinatra famously played the bar's piano.[6]
The paparazzi crowded the exit of Harry's Bar Rome in order to take celebrity photos, including Rino Barillari, a historic Dolce Vita photographer.[7]
Aftermath
During the 80s, Harry's Bar Rome was bought and renovated by the Cremonini group.
Harry's Bar Rome - Inside view
In the early 2000s Harry's Bar Rome was bought and renovated by the Lepore family. Today, the bar recreates the atmosphere of the Dolce Vita years.[5]
Federico Fellini was an Italian filmmaker. He is known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time. His films have ranked highly in critical polls such as that of Cahiers du Cinéma and Sight & Sound, which lists his 1963 film 8+1⁄2 as the 10th-greatest film.
Paparazzi are independent photographers who take pictures of high-profile people; such as actors, musicians, athletes, politicians, and other celebrities, typically while subjects go about their usual life routines. Paparazzi tend to make a living by selling their photographs to media outlets that focus on tabloid journalism and sensationalism.
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La Dolce Vita is a 1960 satirical comedy-drama film directed and co-written by Federico Fellini. The film stars Marcello Mastroianni as Marcello Rubini, a tabloid journalist who, over seven days and nights, journeys through the "sweet life" of Rome in a fruitless search for love and happiness. The screenplay, written by Fellini and three other screenwriters, can be divided into a prologue, seven major episodes interrupted by an intermezzo, and an epilogue, according to the most common interpretation.
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Tazio Secchiaroli was an Italian photographer known as one of the original paparazzi. He founded the agency Roma Press Photo in 1955.
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Marcello Geppetti was an Italian photographer.
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